Charles Woodson

Former pro quarterback Ryan Leaf, still remembered as one of the NFL's biggest busts, was released on parole from a Montana prison on Wednesday, the Great Falls Tribune reported. Leaf served about half of his five-year sentence on drug and burglary charges. He also was dismissed from a drug treatment program for threatening a staff member. Leaf was required to complete a chemical dependency program to be released and granted parole. He was working on the coaching staff of West Texas A&M when he was arrested. Leaf, 38, finished third in the 1997 Heisman Trophy voting, and was the No. 2 overall selection in the 1998 NFL draft, one pick behind Peyton...

Last week in parentheses.
1. Patriots 8-2 (1): Subpar game for Tom Brady and they still find a way to hang 42 points on Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. That is clicking.
2. Cardinals 9-1 (2): Bruce Arians is paying attention to playoff ramifications. You...

Sunday presented the Bears with a chance to announce themselves as a division power and maybe even a Super Bowl contender in this jailbreak of an NFL season.
Instead, the Bears chose to announce they have no clue how to stop Aaron Rodgers, even when he’s...

Ten thoughts after the Chicago Bears made too many mistakes in losing the season opener to the Buffalo Bills 23-20 in overtime Sunday at Soldier Field .
1. The storyline has been promoted practically all year, since Jan. 3 anyway, the day the Chicago...

Defiance as familiar as the forced interception Jay Cutler threw in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 23-20 overtime loss to the Bills surfaced minutes after the Bears quarterback stepped into the postgame interview room at Soldier Field.
"You guys are...

Smart man, Tom Thayer.
As the Bears radio analyst, he’s football Steve Stone with the way he diagnoses plays before the snap and breaks them down later. He’s also football Ron Santo, grunting his dismay at his former team’s failure, audibly disheartened...

Last year, Jay Cutler got a Pro Bowl receiver in Brandon Marshall and a newly signed Pro Bowl running back in Matt Forte.
This year, the Bears quarterback got an offensive-minded head coach known as a quarterback whisperer in Marc Trestman, and before...

As Julius Peppers entered the locker room, he spoke for nearly everyone in the organization and probably its fan base when he exclaimed, "Winning ugly." It trumps the alternative -- being on the losing side of an ugly win. The Bears rebounded...

Ndamukong Suh had the knockdown of the night when he rocked Jay Cutler on a sack in the second quarter. But the Bears recovered to win the decision Monday night. The hope is the quarterback isn't too sore after he was diagnosed with bruised ribs...

GREEN BAY — At least the on-field camera for this nationally televised game didn't capture Jay Cutler shouting vulgarities at his offensive coordinator. That's maybe the only way progress can be judged for the Bears, who were looking to make a major jump...

GREEN BAY -- The coaching adage is that a team is never as good as it might look in a victory and never as bad as it might appear in a defeat. Keeping that in mind, we’ll try to maintain perspective with 10 thoughts coming out of another ugly loss at...

Maybe it’s just me, but I was totally unimpressed with the Packers defense. Completely and absolutely unimpressed. It was bad last season. It looked bad to start this season.The 49ers gashed the Packers for 186 yards rushing and 377 yards total, and...

I have seen the Bears' safety problem hang around for most of the post-Mike Brown era and now with the injuries to Brandon Hardin and Chris Conte. Could we see Peanut Tillman make the move to safety and have Kelvin Hayden slide into a starting...

If any of us wondered if celebrities would still visit Chicago after “The Oprah Winfrey Show” ended in May, we now have our answer.
Chicago is still a popular destination for film projects — which this year included “Man of Steel” and “Contagion” — and...

Rosie O’Donnell ordered crab cakes and beer during her three-hour lunch Thursday at Market. The West Loop bar & restaurant is a short walk away from Harpo Studios – home to “The Rosie Show.”Rapper/actor Common had dinner with four guests at Table...

You can understand why Jay DeMerit didn’t initially jump at the opportunity to make a documentary about his life.
Sure, the UIC alum knew his story was worthy of the big-screen treatment — it’s not every day that someone who went undrafted by Major...

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - While Tom Brady is preparing for his ninth AFC Championship Game appearance, an old adversary is tossing darts.But Brady elected to take the high road when asked Thursday about a critique from Ray Lewis. The former Baltimore Ravens...

After a quiet lead-up to Saturday’s Ravens-Patriots playoff game, former Ravens star Ray Lewis threw the kind of shot the rivalry needed — even if it’s a little off-base.
Lewis spoke with Stephen A. Smith on Sirius Radio on Tuesday and said “the only...

There are eight -- and there's one active NFL player who will be a shoo-in -- Heisman Trophy winners in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Can you name them?
Two are running backs who won the Heisman as college football's best player in the 1980s. Two...

As the opening of NFL training camps creeps closer, so does confrontation with critical concerns on top teams. The outcome of these issues will have a major impact on the drama and results of the 2013 season. Some of the teams expecting to contend for...